First Epistle to Timothy

The First Epistle to Timothy was the first of Paul the Apostle's two letters written to Saint Timothy, written in 65 AD. The epistle consisted of many counsels to his younger colleague regarding the organization of the Christian Church and some of its doctrines. It was later included in the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible, making up its fifteenth book and its tenth epistle.

Chapter 1
Paul the Apostle wrote to Saint Timothy, reminding him that, during his missionary travels in Macedonia, he had asked Timothy to remain at Ephesus in order to ensure that the new Christian Church there would not teach any different doctrine, occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies, and instead focus on love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. He warned Timothy that certain persons by swerving from the rules had wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they were saying or the things about which they made assertions. He also stated that the good law was not laid down for the just, but for the lawless and disobedient, the ungodly and the sinners, the unholy and profane, the murderers of fathers and mothers, for manslayers, immoral persons, sodomites, kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and others who were contrary to sound doctrine. Paul then thanked Jesus for appointing him to his service despite his former blasphemy and his persecution of Christianity, and he swore to be a good minister of Christ. He then asked Timothy to give prophetic utterances so that he could wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.

Chapter 2
Paul urged that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who were in high positions, that they may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. He also said that he was appointed a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles in faith and truth and bear Jesus' testimony. He also said that he desired that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling, and that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or pearls or costly attire, but by good deeds. He also asked for women to learn in silence with all submissiveness, and he said that he permitted no woman to teach or to have authority over men, for she was to keep silent, as Adam was formed before Eve, and that woman would be saved through bearing children.

Chapter 3
Paul repeated the saying, "If anyone aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task." Paul instructed Timothy that a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money; that he must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; that he must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil; and that he must be well-thought-of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Deacons had to be serious and not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for gain, that they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience, and that they had to prove themselves blameless first. The women had to be serious, no slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things. Deacons had to be monogamous and let their wives manage their children and their households well. Paul then expressed his hope to come to Ephesus soon, but he wrote the insturctions to Timothy in the case of a delay.

Chapter 4
Paul wrote that the Spirit eexpressly said that in later times some would depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the pretensions of liars whose consciences were seared, who forbade marriage and enjoined abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believed and knew the truth. Paul justified this by saying everything created by God was good, and nothing was to be rejected if it was received with thanksgiving.

Paul said that, if Timothy put these insturctions before the brrethren, he would be a good minister of Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which he had followed. He asked him to have nothing to do with godless and silly myths and to train himself in godliness, which was better than bodily training. He also instructed him to command and teach these things, to let no one despise his youth, to attend to the public reading of scripture, to preach and not teach, to not neglect the gift he had, and to practice his duties, devote himself to them, and take heed to himself and to his teaching to save both himself and his hearers.

Chapter 5
Paul told Timothy not to rebuke an older man but exhort him as he would a father, and to treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, and younger women like sisters, all in purity. He also told him to honor widows who were real widows, and, if the widow had children or grandchildren, to let them first learn their religious duty to their own family and make some return to their parents. For real widows, they would have to be left all alone, to set her hope on God, and to continue in supplications and prayers night and day, while the self-indulgent ones were dead even while they lived. If anyone would not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he would be regarded as a person who had disowned the faith, making them worse than an unbeliever.

He instructed for a widow to be enrolled if she was not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and been well-attested for her good deeds (such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, relieving the afflicted, and devoting herself to doing good in every way). However, Timothy was not to enroll younger widows, for when they grew wanton against Jesus when they desired to marry, they would incur condemnation for having violated their first pledge. Besides that, they would learn to be idlers, gadding about from house to house, and also becoming gossips and busybodies. Paul sought for younger widows to marry, bear children, rule their households, and give the enemy no occasion to revile the Church, for some had already strayed after Satan. If any believing woman had relatives who were widows, she ought to assist them.

He also decreed that the elders who ruled well should be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labored in preaching and teaching. He also said to never admit any charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persisted in sin, they should be rebuked in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Jesus and of the elect angels, Paul charged Timothy to keep these rules without favor, doing nothing from partiality. He told him to not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor participate in another man's sins, but to keep himself pure. He also told Timothy to no longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of his stomach and his frequent ailments.

The sins of some men were conspicuous, pointing to judgment, but the sins of others would appear later. Also, good deeds were conspicuous, and even when they were not, they could not be hidden. He asked for all slaves to regard their masters as worthy of honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be defamed. Those who had believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brethren, and that they must srve all the better since those who benefited by their service were believers and beloved. Paul told Timothy to teach and urge these duties, as, iff anyone taught otherwise and did not agree with the sound words of Jesus and the teaching which accorded with godliness, he was puffed up with conceit, knew nothing, had a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words, which produced envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among men who were depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness was a means of gain. There was great gain in godliness for contentment, for humanity brought nothing into the world, and could not take anything out of the world, and could be content with food and clothing.

However, those who desired to be rich would fall into temptation, into a snare, and into many senseless and hurrtful desires that plunged men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money was the root of all evils, and it was through this craving that some wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs. But as for Timothy, Paul asked for him to shun all this, to aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness; to fight the good fight of the faith, to take hold of the eternal life to which he was called when he made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of Jesus; to charge the rich not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God, and to be good, rich in good deeds, liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so thtat they may take hold of the life which was life indeed.

In closing, he asked Timothy to guard what was entrusted to him and to avoid the godless chatter and contradictions of what was falsely called knowledge, for some by professing it had missed the mark as regards the faith. Paul then ended the letter, "Grace be with you."